IMF TLS 80 MII on my radar

[theumen]

Hello all,

I'm in desperate need of your wisdom and encouragement

First some background:
I own a set of IMF TLS 50 MKII's and love every inch of them.

The quest:
A friend of mine asked me if I could look around and come up with a speakerset he could set up in a shack where he will sport the Worldcup football. So I set sail to look for some party speakers.

The problem:
In my quest I came across a set of IMF TLS80's MKII. Way to good to throw into a barn and listen to football commentary ofc.
Sooooooooo now I'm in the process of trying to buy them for myself because even if i don't need them perse... I realy would like to hear them (maybe even replace my tls 50's).

I add some pictures of them and would love to get some feedback on:
Shouldn't they have stands with them?
The tweeters seem to be of a diffrent color?
Any other insight or things I should look / ask for?

Thanks a ton in advance!
Mathias

 

[canuckaudiog]

Hi @theumen, I can answer your questions.

First of all yes they should have the stands. These have the egg-shell like foam in them, which indicates they are in fact the TLS 80-II and not the original TLS 80.

The supertweeters look OK to me. They appear to be the Celestion HF2000 which is original to these. The main tweeters are the HF1300 which is also correct.

The most important thing is that all drivers are functional. Like your TLS 50s, they have a control on the back that reduces the HF range. If you are not hearing anything out of the tweeters, it could very well be this control causing the issue, and not the drivers.

I have owned several different IMF models, including the TLS 50-II and TLS 80-II. The main difference between the two is the TLS 80 sounds more effortless with deeper bass. They are definitely an upgrade. If you like your TLS 50s, you will like these even more.

Finally, one thing you should consider is replacing the capacitors on the crossovers. The original capacitors are well beyond their shelf life now and replacing them will restore the crossover's specifications. I recapped every set of IMFs that came my way and it always made a noticeable improvement.

 

[theumen]

Thanks @canuckaudiog for getting back to me!

Now I even want to hear them more

Do you have any idea what a reasonable price range would be? Bit starts at around 650$.
Trying to get in contact with the vendor, no reply yet :'(

Thanks a lot for chiming in!
M.

 

[canuckaudiog]

Thanks @canuckaudiog for getting back to me!

Now I even want to hear them more

Do you have any idea what a reasonable price range would be? Bit starts at around 650$.
Trying to get in contact with the vendor, no reply yet :'(

Thanks a lot for chiming in!
M.

Based on the cabinet's condition and no stands I'd be hesitant to go much higher myself. But, pictures only tell so much. They are quite large so it's possible no one else will want them.

 

[theumen]

Very usefull feedback. Thanks @canuckaudiog! I’ll keep this post updated

 

[Jan-Helge]

TLS50, I have had 4 different versions of TLS50, is a very good speaker. Best is those with IMF woofer (made by Elac for IMF). TLS50 came with two versions of KEF woofers, one of those version (the one you find most of) is not as good as the other version wich is hard to find.

It's easyer to success with TLS50 compare with TLS80, I have own TLS80 also so I know them well. Many reasson for that, first of all TLS50 plays better in small rooms, also their size is more correct for more livingroom. They don't need as big amp also, than money could be put in better sound quality and you don't have to pay extra for more power (TLS80 are harder to drive and it's easyer to find amps for TLS50).

Myself I play on SACM and RSPM now, very big speakers and I should park them in my storage room if I should have my best pair of TLS50 now (they are sold).

My RSPM side by side with a TLS50 pair (this is vrong version of TLS50)

Here you could compare the RSPM with the TLS80

Just now I play on my best pair, the SACM

I am a IMF-fan